Patient Says Her Psychiatrist Groped Her

HENRICO, Va. (CN) – A psychiatrist grabbed a patient’s breasts, stuck his tongue in her ear and asked her to go to a hotel with him – and she’s not the only one, the woman claims in court. Gladys Farley sued Dr. Anandababu Chellappan in Henrico County Circuit Court, alleging sexual assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gross negligence and medical malpractice. Farley says she consulted Chellappan seeking treatment for bipolar disorder, and he began bringing up sex during her visits. “Upon every visit with Dr. Chellappan, he was always overly interested in her sex life,” she says in the 8-page lawsuit. “He demanded that she have office visits more frequently.” Things got worse, she says, when she told him of her plans to divorce her husband. After one session, “Upon standing up to leave, he used both hands to grab her breasts and forced her close to him. He then whispered in her ear, ‘I want to meet you at a hotel, because you are not getting any at home,’ while holding her breasts and rubbing and moving each around as if massaging them. He put his mouth and tongue in her ear,” the complaint states. Farley says she was shocked and pulled away to run to her car. She says she reported Chellappan to police, prompting Chellappan to send her a note apologizing and asking her to keep her next appointment. She did not keep her next appointment. She says: “As a result of your plaintiff’s egregious experience with the defendant doctor and other similar cases brought against him, the Virginia Board of Medicine summarily suspended the defendant’s license to practice medicine and surgery in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” She seeks $500,000 in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages. She is represented by Rodney Jefferson of Richmond. According to Virginia news reports, at least two women accused Chellappan of sexual assault and lewd behavior during examinations in 2012. One woman accused him of putting $75 on his office table, unzipping his pants and performing a lewd act. Another woman said Chellappan gave her $30 and fondled her breasts.